chain lightning
- noun
- /tʃeɪn ˈlaɪt.nɪŋ/
:
rayo encadenado
- The storm was illuminated by streaks of chain lightning arcing across the sky.
Examples
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Scientists studied photos of chain lightning to understand its complex, zigzagging pattern.
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Did you see that chain lightning last night?
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As the thunder rumbled, a bolt of chain lightning split into several forks above the field.
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The storm produced a spectacular display of chain lightning.
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As the thunder rumbled, a bolt of chain lightning split into several forks above the field.
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Scientists studied photos of chain lightning to understand its complex, zigzagging pattern.
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The storm was illuminated by streaks of chain lightning arcing across the sky.
Synonyms
512
1.0
A sudden bright flash in the sky during a storm caused by electricity
A bright flash of lightning with branches that split from the main line
How Branched
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound transparently combines 'chain' (a linked series) with 'lightning' (an electrical flash), so a learner who knows both words can infer the general idea of lightning that links or jumps between things. However, the precise, conventionalized gaming sense — a single attack that hits one target and then arcs sequentially to nearby targets — is a specialized metaphorical extension and may not be fully predictable to a B1 learner without prior exposure.
Etymology
Chain lightning comes from the image of a lightning bolt that splits into linked forks like a chain across the sky. So it means 'a type of lightning that moves quickly in a zigzag path and branches'.